Douluo Jueshi: I Don't Want to Be an Evil Soul Master

Chapter 22 Business
"I didn't know that Alliance Leader Shangguan was coming. I apologize for not welcoming you."

On the top floor of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce, a middle-aged man in a purple cloak greeted Shangguan Wei'er. He had the air of a superior, his eyes gleaming with brilliance. He looked more like a high-ranking official than a businessman.

"President An, you're too polite. The Aodu Chamber of Commerce has taken control of most of the Mingdu market in less than a month. Wei'er should have come to visit earlier."

Shangguan Wei'er looked An Litong up and down, her tone softening. Even though the president of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce wasn't even at the ninth level, the people behind him weren't to be messed with lightly.

An Litong was also pondering this. He had heard of the Ordinary Alliance. From high-ranking officials and nobles to ordinary people, their members were everywhere. Even with the recent upheaval in Mingdu, the Ordinary Alliance remained largely unaffected.

Shangguan Wei'er came to him so openly, so it was probably more than just a simple visit. Even if the Aodu Chamber of Commerce had other businesses behind the scenes, those should have no intersection with the Ordinary Alliance.

"Master Shangguan, what are you talking about? I'm just a businessman. How could I trouble you so much?"

Shangguan Weier covered her face and chuckled softly. She naturally understood the hidden meaning behind An Litong's words. "President An, don't worry. I'm here for a business deal."

"Alliance Leader Shangguan, please speak frankly."

"I heard that the Aodu Chamber of Commerce is well-informed..." Shangguan Weiler raised her head slightly, glanced at An Litong opposite her, and then looked away slightly.

"I lost a batch of goods at the Tianhun border. I wonder if President An can find out the whereabouts of this batch of goods?"

An Litong's heart tightened slightly when he heard this. Others only knew that the Aodu Chamber of Commerce had a close relationship with the current royal family, but few knew what they actually did.

In reality, the Aodu Chamber of Commerce wasn't directly affiliated with the royal family, but rather with Xu Jing's army. Bandits, assassins... these forces that couldn't be publicly displayed were handled by the Aodu Chamber of Commerce.

Shangguan Weiler mentioned things happening near the border, and it was obvious that she had found out their origins in such a short period of time.

Being able to control the Ordinary Alliance for decades, he does have some skills.

"I wonder what kind of goods it is?" An Litong thought to himself, but did not deny their connection with the border.

"Those are two dragon ladies."

"Dragon Girl?" An Litong's tone changed slightly. "It's said that the Dragon Girl lives deep in the mountains and swamps. Her body is covered in scales, and only when she's in full swing will the scales fall away. Not only is she incredibly beautiful, but those who share her joy will also see their strength greatly increased."

"President An is indeed knowledgeable and experienced. This is exactly what he is talking about."

An Litong's expression shifted. Legend had it that the Dragon Girl could improve a spirit master's physique, imbuing them with a trace of true dragon blood and even promoting the benign evolution of their martial spirits. Even he had never witnessed this firsthand. The Ordinary Alliance's tactics were beyond his expectations.

"If President An can find this batch of goods, the Pingfan Alliance will reward him handsomely." Shangguan Wei'er suddenly stood up and stepped forward. The leader of one side did not care about his status at all and personally filled An Litong's cup with tea.

An Litong straightened up, the aroma still wafting through his nose. Although he knew the person before him was at least several dozen years old, his heart still stirred uncontrollably.

"Also..." Shangguan Wei'er laughed again at this and gently lifted the veil from her face. "The Ordinary Alliance usually does some small business. Now that the Aodu Chamber of Commerce has occupied most of the Mingdu market, I wonder if President An would be interested in working with me?"

An Litong's heart trembled, and he quickly recovered. The search for goods had probably just been a casual mention, a way to showcase the Ordinary Alliance's strength. What Shangguan Weier really wanted to talk about was the following incident.

"I wonder what kind of business requires Alliance Leader Shangguan to come here in person?"

“It’s a business dealing in rare metals.” Shangguan Wei’er said casually, but it made An Litong unable to sit still.

The Sun-Moon Empire explicitly prohibits the trade of rare metals. However, this is precisely why so many people take risks for the sake of profit. He wasn't surprised by the Ordinary Alliance's involvement, but he didn't expect it to be brought up directly in front of him.

"President An, there's no need to do this. Some things can't be completely banned. Instead of blocking them everywhere, it's better to take control of them. What do you think, President An?"

The conversation between Shangguan Wei'er and An Litong was destined to remain private. Meanwhile, Lin Xiao changed his clothes somewhere and walked into an unremarkable building.

"Lord Holy Envoy."

The two holy servants in the room bowed to him.

"What about the teacher?"

"The elder is downstairs."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao walked to the table, pressed the mechanism, and walked underground.

After walking four or five meters along a straight corridor, a spacious hall appeared before my eyes. This place was completely different from the ground. It was surrounded by a dim dark purple light. It looked quite spacious, but still had a gloomy and oppressive feeling.

The innermost Nightmare Douluo was looking up slightly at a flag hanging on the wall.

Lin Xiao raised his head slightly and glanced at the flag, feeling the cries of countless souls within it. The familiar surroundings made his childhood memories surge in his mind.

"teacher."

"Yeah." Sleepy Nightmare Douluo turned around, "What's going on?"

"Teacher, when I passed by the Aodu Chamber of Commerce just now, I saw Shangguan Wei'er from the Ordinary Alliance."

"Ordinary Alliance? Humph." Nightmare Douluo snorted coldly, "Recently, many disciples in the sect have encountered people who look like they belong to the Ordinary Alliance. It seems that our arrival has made this old woman a little restless."

Listening to what Sleepy Douluo said, Lin Xiao understood that, in addition to Shangguan Qing who approached him in the academy, the Ordinary Alliance might have also attacked other people.

However, it seems that the Ordinary Alliance's methods did not work, but instead made the Holy Spirit Church aware of their actions.

"You entered the Sun and Moon Royal Academy through Jing Hongchen's connections, and you became Lin Jiayi's disciple. I'm afraid you will also be noticed by the Ordinary Alliance. You should also pay attention to the people around you recently."

"Yes." Lin Xiao nodded, keeping an eye on Nightmare Douluo's expression. For some reason, his expression remained calm, as if he wasn't worried at all about revealing the Holy Spirit Cult's secrets.

"Teacher, would you like me to take this opportunity to inquire about the Ordinary Alliance?"

"They've undergone special training, so it might not be easy to extract information from them." Sleepy Nightmare Douluo pondered for a moment, "But if you're confident, you might as well give it a try. The Ordinary Alliance has controlled the underground business for so long, it's time for my Holy Church to take over."

Sleepy Nightmare Douluo's words were not difficult to understand, but according to Lin Xiao's memory, this process was probably not smooth, otherwise the scene of the three major underground forces sharing the business in the future would not have appeared.

(End of this chapter)